Back in 1998, of course, Bill Clinton was still president, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was still being created and Google was filing its incorporation papers. While the study was being written, Google become a household name, George W. Bush was elected twice, and the 1990s Internet boom became the dot-com bust.

The final report is nevertheless a noteworthy project, not least because it's so massive: the "executive summary" document alone is 31 pages. Overall, the study is a comprehensive look at Internet governance that could conceivably be useful for politicians and bureaucrats. It also serves up common-sense observations, such as the need to "harden" root name servers and a caution about the likelihood of the International Telecommunication Union accumulating more power.

About the author

Declan McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. You can e-mail him or follow him on Twitter as declanm. Declan previously was a reporter for Time and the Washington bureau chief for Wired and wrote the Taking Liberties section and Other People's Money column for CBS News' Web site.
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